Podcasts by Ockham’s Razor
Further podcasts by ABC Radio
Podcast on the topic Wissenschaft
All episodes
Australia's future in space from 2022-05-01T07:45
What’s Australia best known for? Venomous creatures? Football with weird rules? What about… space exploration?
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Lessons from the Para-powerlifters from 2022-04-24T07:45
Who’s the strongest person in the world? And how would you measure it? Today’s guest has a metric in mind.
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The mindblowing physics you may not have heard of from 2022-04-17T07:45
Somewhere between the very, very big physics and the very, very little physics is ... condensed matter physics. You might not have heard of it before, but it’s just as mindblowing – as today’s gue...
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Climate adaptation: how this'ugly cousin'went from zero to ... hero? from 2022-04-10T07:45
If you’re not something straightforward like a lawyer or a teacher or an electrician, there’s a question you hate getting at dinner parties – what do you do? And this week on Ockham’s Razor we're ...
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Why Australia is the lucky country when it comes to snakes from 2022-04-03T07:45
It’s no secret that Australia is home to many a venomous snake but this week’s guest wants to convince you that we should look at this as a blessing, not a curse.
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Artificial intelligence, sound design and creativity from 2022-03-13T07:45
They will have played a critical role in many of your favourite albums, but what exactly does an audio mastering engineer do? And how is artificial intelligence shaking up what's traditionally bee...
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Artificial muscles and medical devices from 2022-02-27T07:45
What does it take to peel a banana? It’s something most of us can do without thinking, but imagine making a machine that could operate with that much dexterity. This week, we’re hearing from Geoff...
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We've let down our kids when it comes to healthy food from 2022-02-20T07:45
What does it take to raise a generation of healthier kids? Well it depends a bit on what’s around them – and what’s further away. What’s cheaper, or at least feels like better value for money. And...
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Knowledge through the generations from 2022-02-13T07:45
Each year, in hundreds of Australian towns, the annual highlight is the country show. For Kathryn Bowden, showtime isn’t just about checking out the stock and produce. It’s a reminder of the gener...
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Stone tools and secrets of the past from 2022-02-06T07:45
What’s the most important human invention from history? The wheel? Fire? How about… language and culture? This week, archaeologist Sam Lin takes us on a tour of very early human history, featuring...
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Queue-jumping gobies and us from 2022-01-30T07:45
What can gobies – those teeny bottom-dwelling fish – teach us about how we cope with lockdowns?
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The gut microbiome ... of bees from 2021-10-03T07:45
You’ve got one, I’ve got one, and even cows have them. I’m talking, of course, about a microbiome – that collection of trillions of microorganisms that live on and in us and that we literally could...
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Better living through chemistry? from 2021-09-26T07:45
The year is 1911, and a young man by the name of Thomas Midgely Jr. is graduating university with a degree in engineering. Thomas doesn’t know it yet, but he will have a greater impact on the Eart...
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Our vast underwater forests at risk from 2021-09-19T07:45
If there’s one thing Australians know how to be smug about, it’s that our country is home to some of the most incredible ecosystems in the world. But today, we’re visiting one that is massive in s...
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Startups, innovation and regional Australia from 2021-09-12T07:45
Mention the term “startup” and your mind probably goes to Silicon Valley and high-tech computer science. But startups exist in regional Australia as well – and what’s more, they’re crucial to our ...
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Dogs, devils and contagious cancers from 2021-09-05T07:45
Where does cancer come from? Well there are a few answers to that question – genetic changes, maybe it’s triggered by a virus. But for two species of cute, fuzzy animals, they can be transmitted d...
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How music affects your brain and body from 2021-08-29T07:45
Are you a fan of pop music? What about rap? Or maybe you like edgy, experimental, electronic stuff? Well – that’s what you think. But if we covered your head with sensors and played you some music...
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Healthy humans, healthy environment from 2021-08-22T07:45
Our own health and the health of our planet as two things that are intertwined. Today, we hear from obstetrician Kristine Barnden about the gap between good health in theory, and the challenges to...
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The myth that Australia doesn't have earthquakes from 2021-08-15T07:45
Did you know that across the Tasman, in New Zealand, some kitchens have roller cupboard doors instead of, you know, normal cupboard doors? It’s because of the earthquakes. Sometimes they’re so bad...
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Tigers, leopards and unforeseen consequences from 2021-08-08T07:45
If you had to pit endangered species next to each other in a contest of who was most good-looking, tigers would have to be pretty close to the top of the list. They’re gorgeous – and getting people...
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Resilient farms and water worries from 2021-08-01T07:45
Living as we do in a country that’s prone to drought, it’s no surprise that the subject of irrigation for farming can become a contentious one in Australia. Stepping up to the mic today is Rose Ro...
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Hiding drugs in nanomaterials to repair brains from 2021-07-25T07:45
If you could take your brain and zoom in a couple of times – and then a bit more – you’d see structures that look like towers and tentacles, and behave like pieces of automatic Lego. It’s a crazy...
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How communities can recover from disasters like bushfires and COVID-19 from 2021-07-18T07:45
You know in movies, where it turns out the scrappy young hero had the power to succeed inside themselves all along – they just had to learn how to harness it? It turns out this is more than just a...
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Unseen minerals all around us from 2021-07-11T07:45
Look, don’t put your mobile phone in a blender. Just… trust me on this one. But if you did, you’d find more of the periodic table of elements in that pulverised phone dust than you might expect. ...
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Food supply in a pandemic from 2021-07-04T07:45
We’re pretty used to walking into a supermarket and expecting the stuff we want to be on the shelf. Or at least we were until last year, when panic-buying lifted the curtain a bit on just how comp...
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Bringing passion back to learning from 2021-06-27T07:45
We know that giving students choice and ownership over their own learning is best, but has it been lost from the education system?
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Is there a future for brown coal? from 2021-06-20T07:45
When I say “brown coal”, what word comes to mind? Dirty? Well maybe that’s fair… if you want to burn it. But Vince Verheyen reckons there’s a future for it in a net zero emissions world. The star...
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Trolling, cyber-abuse and radical empathy from 2021-06-13T07:45
Why is it that so many people are horrible online? Are they always bad people?
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Humans as part of nature from 2021-05-30T07:45
There are those places in nature that we come back to, again and again. The reason we come is because they’re so beautiful, or peaceful… but it’s the act of returning regularly that helps us notice...
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Will I get better? from 2021-05-23T07:45
Why are medicos often so bad at giving us a straight answer to this question – and how could they respond better?
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Understanding cancer to improve the way we treat it from 2021-05-16T07:45
Think about the stem cells in an embryo – they’re a bit like a teenager on the brink of adulthood, with the potential to be almost anything they want to be.
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What the Stone Age can teach us about waste management from 2021-05-09T07:45
Morbid question for you - how long do you reckon your remains hang around for, after you die? How about the rest of the things you’ve used in your life?
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Reconnecting with nature from 2021-05-02T07:45
Take a moment and imagine yourself in nature - whether it is walking in a magical rainforest, swimming in the ocean, or a moment of wonder at the animals and plants around.
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The romantic self-saboteur from 2021-04-25T07:45
What happens when you’re very young can have a life-long effect on your relationships, as Raquel Peel knows all too well.
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Soil your undies! from 2021-04-18T07:45
What do your undies have to do with the health of Australian soils?
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Breaking open big data from 2021-04-11T07:45
What did you do when you woke up this morning? Social media on the mobile, checking the weather on your speaker or your heartrate and sleep patterns on your smart watch?
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A fossil mystery from 2021-04-04T07:45
If the numbers of TV shows on the topic are anything to go by, everyone loves a cold case – trying to crack a mysterious death from the past.
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The mental health seesaw from 2021-03-28T07:45
What makes someone who cruises through life relatively happily different to someone who struggles with mental health issues?
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Garden hose, acrobatic ants and a piece of string from 2021-03-21T07:45
What if our entire universe, including you and I, could be boiled down to one object: a vibrating string?
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The handsome beast — and other enigmatica from 2021-03-14T07:45
520 million years ago, the oceans teemed with some of the most bizarre animals ever to have lived.
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Salami smuggling in Papua New Guinea from 2021-03-07T07:45
What do boiled bandicoot, smuggled salami and an invisibility cloak have in common?
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Disappearing sea snakes from 2021-02-28T07:45
They breathe air but live underwater, and like their land-dwelling counterparts their bites are venomous.
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Finding kindness on the backroads of Bangladesh from 2021-02-21T07:45
Nathan Brooks-English usually studies the geological processes that make mountains but on one particular field trip, the thing he learned most about was human connection.
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Tiny but mighty from 2021-02-14T07:45
Microbes are critically important to the health of a coral reef.
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Aged care — giving families a voice from 2021-02-07T07:45
It's a story familiar to many families. A loved one is in aged care, and it's only after you visit them that you discover things are going wrong.
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How do top cricketers stay mentally sharp? from 2021-01-31T07:45
Tens of thousands of fans watching on. The weight of a country's hopes on your shoulders. And a leather ball speeding towards you at 140 kilometres per hour.
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Making better decisions to help the Great Barrier Reef from 2020-12-06T07:45
Every day we make hundreds of choices, big and small, that build to become the story of our lives – the friends we make, the careers we choose, our partners and our purpose.
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The case of L Ron Hubbard v Science from 2020-11-22T07:45
It's one thing to big note yourself. But the founder of the Church of Scientology is guilty of scientific fraud, explains author and investigative journalist Steve Cannane. This program was first b...
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John Stapp, the daredevil who pushed our understanding of G forces. from 2020-08-30T07:45
John Stapp was a pioneering researcher into the effects of 'rapid human deceleration' on the body. This episode first aired February 25, 2018
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Remembering Maryam Mirzakhani. from 2020-08-23T07:45
Australian mathematician Nalini Joshi pays a personal tribute to Maryam Mirzakhani. This episode first aired January 21, 2018.
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A meme of sand and hope from 2020-04-26T07:45
When life gives you fire, you don't need more coal.
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Creating the perfect sports team from 2020-04-19T07:45
Star players don't mean a champion team.
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Can a river sing? from 2020-04-12T07:45
If the (once) mighty Murray could sing, how would it sound?
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Moving beyond'us'and'them' from 2020-04-05T07:45
Why does talk of climate change always seem to end up with 'us' and 'them'?
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Fire, hope and healing from 2020-03-29T07:45
When your coping mechanism is destroyed, how to cope?
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People, animals and pandemics from 2020-03-22T07:45
The Spanish Flu devastated the world a century before COVID-19.
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Forensic archaeology from 2020-03-15T07:45
Nuclear technolgy is revealing the historical travels of ancient ochres.
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How to run a research institute from 2020-03-08T07:45
It's time to say goodbye to 'research hotels'.
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Is all freshwater up for grabs? from 2020-03-01T07:45
Up to 5 per cent of the world's fresh water is buried under the sea. Should we tap it?
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How to fake acupuncture from 2020-02-23T07:45
You can't fake sticking needles into someone, without a little magic ...
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The future is one part tequila from 2020-02-16T07:45
Could three crops transform our farming - and our climate impact?
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Is eating meat bad for you? from 2020-02-09T07:45
What makes food 'good' goes well beyond science and health.
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The greatest time machine ever invented from 2020-02-02T07:45
How to study the ancient rocks of Antarctica without leaving South Australia.
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Down with war ... on cancer from 2020-01-26T07:45
Could we treat cancer better by doing less? Surgeon Christobel Saunders thinks so.
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It could happen to your child from 2019-12-15T07:45
You're carrying a few lethal genes, but how would you know? Ockham's Razor returns January 26, 2020.
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Einstein's physics for kids from 2019-12-08T07:45
Can kids understand relativity and quantum physics?
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Green energy for lazy people from 2019-12-01T07:45
Jemma Green is building a path of least resistance to renewable energy.
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HealthLit4Kids from 2019-11-24T07:45
A little health literacy program in Tassie is making waves on a global stage.
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Tackling obesity with a twist from 2019-11-17T07:45
Treating obesity is never as simple as eat less, exercise more.
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The end of tobacco smoking from 2019-11-10T07:45
Tobacco smoking has caused untold death and disease. But is a world without cigarettes possible? Public health academic Coral Gartner has a dream ... and a plan.
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Nudity, easels and the science of embodiment from 2019-11-03T07:45
Zoe Kean has always suspected that taking part in life drawing classes changes us - and now she's found a scientist who shares her curiosity and has begun to study the effect.
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Life after Earth ... for capitalists from 2019-10-27T07:45
It might be the ultimate dream for preppers and Trekkies: life in a Dyson sphere. Astrophysicist Natasha Hurley-Walker takes us to a possible distant future via the physics of continuous economic g...
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The downside of good science communication from 2019-10-20T07:45
Collaborating with an artist to bring Tassie wildlife science to a broader audience has created a dilemma for saltmarsh researcher Vishnu Prahalad.
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The complexity of pregnancy from 2019-10-13T07:45
Sheila Pham always thought it would be great to have kids; but one thing that worried her was what you had to go through beforehand.
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New stemsation: do stem cells live up to the hype? from 2019-10-06T07:45
It all starts with tubes of warm, thick, gooey fat delivered fresh to the lab.
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From the lab to the patient from 2019-09-29T07:45
Only a fraction of health research makes its way into clinical practice. And it takes years to make the journey.
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The other microbiome ... from 2019-09-22T07:45
Move over gut: it's time to meet the vaginal microbiome.
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The secrets hidden in crystals from 2019-09-15T07:45
Crystals aren't just beautiful - they tell stories that can help answer some of the big questions of our planet's past - and our own.
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Today no one got eaten. from 2019-09-01T07:45
Geophysicists might expect to face earthquakes or volcanoes in their work. But Kate Selway has to factor hungry Polar bears into her research.
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Where do ideas come from? from 2019-08-25T07:45
Archimedes had the original Eureka moment in the bath. Mathematician Geordie Williamson had a geometry-shattering insight in the shower. Where do our ideas come from?
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John Snow and the Broad St pump from 2019-08-18T07:45
Dr Jim Leavesley on the other John Snow, cholera and the birth of epidemiology. (First broadcast September 5, 2004).
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Thomas Harriot: England's Galileo from 2019-08-11T07:45
Robyn Arianrhod with the story of an Elizabethan mathematician you've never heard of.
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Romancing the stars from 2019-08-04T07:45
Trashy mags are full of stories about love among the stars. But astrophysicist Devika Kamath has discovered what happens when real stars hook-up -- and is rewriting the astronomy textbooks as a res...
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The Titanic and beyond from 2019-07-28T07:45
Maritime archaeology doesn’t sound super-sexy, but Emily Jateff's work has taken her to some extraordinary places – like to the Titanic. Four times!
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Tackling cancer with maths from 2019-07-21T07:45
Medical research is full of in vitro and in vivo experiments, but mathematicians are tackling tumors with in silico studies.
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Silicosis is NOT the new asbestosis from 2019-07-14T07:45
When a young Gold Coast stonemason died from silicosis in March, it was branded 'the new asbestosis'. But the media couldn't have been more wrong.
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Fertility drugs and nuns'wee from 2019-07-07T07:45
An unlikely group of women played an important role in the early days of fertility treatments.
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Jobs in the age of intelligent machines from 2019-06-30T07:45
The robots are coming, but - phew! - they're only stealing some of our jobs.
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To catch a (wildlife) thief from 2019-06-23T07:45
There's nothing criminals love more than finding a branch of crime that pays, but is poorly enforced - like wildlife trafficking. Can science fight back? Lydia Tong thinks so.
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The future is fungus from 2019-06-16T07:45
Fungi are behind everything from blue cheese and truffles to zombi-making head spikes. And that's just the ones we know about it.
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When anaesthetists can't sleep ... from 2019-06-09T07:46
What do you call an insomniac anaesthetist? Michael Toon.
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Reimagining the thylacine from 2019-06-02T07:45
Can we bring back mammals from extinction? It will take more than just technology, says evolutionary geneticist Andrew Pask.
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Algorithms that make art from 2019-05-26T07:45
Computers write poems and jokes, and generate music and images. But is it art?
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What's in a name? from 2019-05-19T07:45
What have the Wallace Line, Confucius and plane crashes got in common? Taxonomy, as it happens.
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The truth about Australia's megafaunal extinctions from 2019-05-12T07:45
Australia was once home to a range of massive animals - giant wombats, oversized kangaroos and mega-lizards that would have rivalled those of the Serengeti.
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Can animals save the planet? from 2019-05-05T07:45
In times gone by we used animals as an indicator of danger. Dogs warned us of predators and unfamiliar people. Fish showed the water was clean and birds indicated air quality.
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The fallout from nuclear nations from 2019-04-28T07:45
Fred Pearce’s book Fallout is a fascinating insight into a few of the disastrous episodes which took place during the hasty and ill-informed projects of the nuclear age, Dr Helen Caldicott says.
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Life, the universe and astrophysics from 2019-04-21T07:45
An ill-conceived midnight skinny-dip, a remote beach, hurricane-stirred waters … and the nature of the universe, with astrophysicist Professor Tamara Davis.
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Tips for surviving the robot apocalypse from 2019-04-14T07:45
Have you seen a robot outside, or as roboticists like to say 'in the wild' this week? This year?
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Why aren't we living in sustainable cities? from 2019-04-07T07:45
Blue sky thinking is a feature of much discussion around the future of our cities — but will it really help us create the sustainable cities of the next century?
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DNA ancestry testing and race from 2019-03-31T07:45
How does our collective fascination with DNA ancestry testing interact with our ideas and conversations about race?
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A tale of frozen sperm from 2019-03-24T07:45
This is the tale of Ernest John Christopher Polge and his substantial contribution to the field of reproductive biology.
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Protecting the eastern bettong from 2019-03-17T07:45
Australia has the highest mammal extinction rate in the world. And of those that do remain, many are in danger of going the same way — including the eastern bettong.
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The big bran theory from 2019-03-10T07:45
A rice grain with more nutrients, high fibre and low calories could be a solution to the double burden of obesity and malnutrition in many countries around the world.
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Where will Australia's space industry be in 30 years? from 2019-03-03T07:45
Professor Anna Moore has some bold predictions for the future of space technology … and how it might affect Australia.
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The'deficit discourse'of Indigenous health from 2019-02-24T07:45
Negative stories in the media, and the focus on problems, can reinforce negative stereotypes about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
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The internet and your memory from 2019-02-17T07:45
More and more, we rely on the internet for the quick recall of facts, figures, dates and events.
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Training intensive care patients like elite athletes from 2019-02-10T07:45
Imagine waking up one day in intensive care — flat on your back, staring at the ceiling, not even breathing for yourself.
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'Problem finders'for the wicked challenges ahead from 2019-02-03T07:45
Tempestuous times often throw up revolutionary innovations — and we need the right people to harness them.
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Beatrix Potter's mushroom obsession from 2019-01-27T07:45
When you hear the name Beatrix Potter, what springs to mind? Is it those beautiful illustrations of rabbits, mice and squirrels? Or is it … mushrooms?
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Stop being so nano-phobic from 2018-12-09T07:45
Martina Stenzel wants us to fight our fear of nanoparticles — often the subject of negative press coverage when it comes to the environment.
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Should we manipulate the genes of other species? from 2018-12-02T07:45
The truth is, humans have been actively shaping the genomes of other species for more than 10,000 years.
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Regional museums inspire the next generation of scientists from 2018-11-25T07:45
Regional areas want museums that deliver science, technology and engineering — but unlike a large state or federally funded museum, they usually don't have full time research scientists on staff.
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Storytelling that changes the world from 2018-11-18T07:45
Physicist and Australian of the Year Michelle Simmons reflects on how scientists view the world.
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A war that will never be over from 2018-11-11T07:45
It was a chance event that brought about Rob Morrison's attendance at the funeral of a WWI soldier, on the battlefield where he died a century before.
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Sniffing your breath to detect disease from 2018-11-04T07:45
Dr Noushin Nasiri gives us the lowdown on how technology may be able to sniff out disease … and the history of the idea, which stretches back thousands of years.
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Alcohol, pregnancy and parenting from 2018-10-28T07:45
The nine months of pregnancy have the ability to permanently influence our health and susceptibility to certain diseases later in life.
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The wines, they are a-changin' from 2018-10-21T07:45
Winemaking is an ancient tradition, but the techniques to make it are changing ... thanks to science.
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A vaccine for gonorrhoea? from 2018-10-14T07:45
As we contemplate a world where gonorrhoea might be entirely resistant to our efforts to treat it, the imperative for a vaccine is great.
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The mathematics of murderers from 2018-10-07T07:45
Is there an unsconscious method to the madness of a serial killer?
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I stress, you stress, how do we stress less? from 2018-09-30T07:45
Ever had a friend or colleague snap at you for no real reason, acting really out of character?
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We need to open science up to everyone from 2018-09-23T07:45
'After all, isn't sharing knowledge and discovery what science is really all about?'
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Stealing from the wellness gurus from 2018-09-16T07:45
When you really watch the wellness gurus at work, they are 'bloody effective' at connecting and engaging with their audience, says Dr Darren Saunders.
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Facts, fear, fake news and Facebook from 2018-09-09T07:45
Pause before you hit that 'like' button on Facebook.
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Kids deserve the chance to play with mathematics from 2018-09-02T07:45
We need to encourage creativity and playfulness in Australia's young students ... if they're to solve the world's future problems.
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Trapped in one of the world's deepest caves from 2018-08-26T07:45
You're a kilometre into an intricate network of caves and the water is rising fast … what next?
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Understanding change in marine ecosystems: a grand challenge for science from 2018-08-19T07:45
The future of our oceans depends on it.
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Disasters are not natural from 2018-08-12T07:45
We often call them 'natural disasters' — things like cyclones, bushfires and floods. But how 'natural' are they?
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Fake boob news from 2018-08-05T07:45
Science communicator Dr Chloe Warren sleuths for a study — widely reported in the media — that "bras make breasts sag faster."
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Let the bacteria live from 2018-07-29T07:45
Amid constant marketing calls for bacteria to be stopped, killed, wiped out — is there another way?
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The pursuit of perfect private parts from 2018-07-22T07:45
Men and women are increasingly reporting dissatisfaction with their genital appearance — so what do we do about it?
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Awe-inspiring weather with Nate Byrne from 2018-07-15T07:45
ABC News Breakfast weather presenter Nate Byrne loves the weather — and he wants you to love it too.
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Feminism, science, love — the shaping of Wonder Woman from 2018-07-08T07:45
The classic Wonder Woman comics are credited to a Charles Moulton. But that's a pseudonym.
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Dude, where's my flying car? from 2018-07-01T07:45
The dream — and the promise of endless science fiction novels — is a personalised flying car that can go wherever you please.
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Concussion: not just a'bit of biffo' from 2018-06-24T07:45
Concussion is not a simple condition played out in a matter of days or weeks following the initial trauma, argues Emeritus Professor Roger Rees.
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The hope (and hype) of stem cells from 2018-06-17T07:45
Beyond the realm of research, there is a growing commercial 'stem cell' industry founded not on evidence but on the promise of success.
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When algorithms go shopping from 2018-06-10T07:45
What's your shopping habit? And could computing power help tweak it?
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Retraining your tastebuds from 2018-06-03T07:45
Taste starts in the womb … and you can train it.
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Venturing to a breakaway iceberg from 2018-05-27T07:45
It's been said we know more about the back side of the moon than we do about parts of the Earth's oceans.
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We need a little less conversation, a little more action from 2018-05-20T07:45
Are we experiencing a nationwide bout of semantic satiation when it comes to the phrase innovation?
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The tricky business of cancer research from 2018-05-13T07:45
Dr Fiona Simpson has spent her life working to create drugs that can treat deadly cancers.
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Clean coal? from 2018-05-06T07:45
Truly clean coal technology is not a myth, argues University of Newcastle chemical engineering researcher Dr Jessica Allen.
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Using virtual reality to explore your insides from 2018-04-29T07:45
You can use virtual reality to stand next to a dinosaur or wander into Van Gogh's kitchen and inspect his famous chair. But what about seeing inside your own body?
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The brilliant mind of Oliver Sacks from 2018-04-22T07:45
Neuroscience PhD student Samuel Mills reflects — and shares a few stories about the brilliant neurologist and author — at Melbourne's Laborastory.
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A pinch of salt with that news headline, please from 2018-04-15T07:45
What questions should you ask of research, a press release, or a journalist's article about that new health or science development to make sure it's legit?
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The blurry line between human and animal health from 2018-04-08T07:45
Understanding the links between animal and human health is key to preventing the next viral pandemic.
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Taking control of what you own from 2018-04-01T07:45
Do you have any input into the design of the products you buy and consume day-to-day? Your phone, laptop, clothes, even your food?
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Nature, nurture and gender from 2018-03-25T07:45
How do we have meaningful advances in our understanding of gender when biologists and gender theorists are at odds?
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Baron, scholar, spy from 2018-03-18T07:45
Franz Nopcsa — a troubled aristocrat, a brilliant scientist, a one-time spy ... and a co-founder of the field of paleobiology.
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The economic impact of refugees from 2018-03-11T07:45
How do you know what effect refugee populations have on the economy of the countries they become a part of?
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Thinking out-of-this-world to inspire schoolkids from 2018-03-04T07:45
Would teenagers be more interested in science if they were literally sending objects into space?
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A new solar reality from 2018-02-18T07:45
Professor Martin Green queries how we dispel the lingering pessimism in Canberra over solar and expand the use of this remarkable technology?
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Traditional medicine and malaria from 2018-02-11T07:45
On first blush, they might seem worlds apart. But modern drug research and ancient medicine intertwine in this tale of the fight against malaria's history.
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Bridging the discipline divide from 2018-02-04T07:45
Cross disciplinary research, undergraduate study, postgraduate study, double degrees!
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Making humility great again from 2018-01-28T07:45
Professor Tom Frame thinks much of what we take for leadership in Canberra and across the country needs to change.
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Is the world real? from 2018-01-14T07:45
The idea that there is something bogus about reality goes back a long way.
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Stopping the poachers from 2018-01-07T07:45
There are villains out there, trying to make the most of the rarity of Australia's species by tracking down their locations for the purposes of poaching.
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Australia's history of grog from 2017-12-31T07:45
Plonk and moonshine, rum and port — it's all a part of Australia's early story.
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The books we love and need from 2017-12-24T07:45
Why write books? For some, it's necessary — to find out what we think, and to get the record down for all of history to see.
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Celebrity'science' from 2017-12-17T07:45
A trail of outlandish endorsements, supplements, fad diets — and claims sprinkled with the lightest dose of science. These are the hallmarks of a celebrity-turned-'scientist.'
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Improving the prospects of PhDs from 2017-12-10T07:45
Why is Australia doing badly at launching careers in academic science — and what can be done?
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Food sensitivity and the known unknowns from 2017-12-03T07:45
What's safe, and how can we be taken seriously if we think we are food sensitive?
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Communicating beyond the scientific sphere from 2017-11-19T07:45
Science communication should celebrate and interrogate science, argues Margaret Wertheim.
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Wind farms and a community divided from 2017-11-12T07:45
What happens to communities when a company wants to put in a wind turbine farm?
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Our national parks need protection from 2017-11-05T07:45
The ability of national parks to protect our natural heritage is being eroded, Carolyn Pettigrew says.
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Joseph Banks'florilegium from 2017-10-29T07:45
A botanic record 250 years in the making is now available for all of us to see.
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Radio astronomy pioneer John Bolton from 2017-10-22T07:45
You may not know his name, but John Bolton's discoveries in the late 1940s marked the birth of a new field of science.
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The lessons of nature from 2017-10-15T07:45
How can a pit viper help us solve the problems of humanity?
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Predatory journals from 2017-10-08T07:45
The rise of open access journals has prompted a significant increase in the number of journals that are predatory in nature, with unethical practices that undermine science and the scientific process.
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The Birdman's wife from 2017-10-01T07:45
Elizabeth Gould spent her life capturing the sublime beauty of birds, including Charles Darwin’s famous Galapagos finches. But her legacy was eclipsed by the fame of her husband, John Gould.
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Code breakers from 2017-09-24T07:45
You may be familiar with the story of how British intelligence cracked Nazi codes at Bletchley Park during World War II. But in the Pacific, two secret organisations existed in Australia to break J...
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How comic books can improve healthcare from 2017-09-17T07:45
Using stories to teach is an ancient tradition, and learning from stories helps prepare healthcare professionals for the challenging situations they face on a daily basis.
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Glue ear and Indigenous health from 2017-09-10T07:45
Aboriginal children have the highest rates of glue ear — a middle ear infection that causes hearing loss — of any people in the world. But it doesn't have to be like this, argues Don Palmer.
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Telegraph Todd from 2017-09-03T07:45
Charles Todd became a legend in his own lifetime for introducing Australian colonists to a new information age, but only recently has the full extent of his many and varied achievements come to light.
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The trouble with fragrance from 2017-08-27T07:45
Five years ago in science writer Clare Pain's household, scented products became not a pleasure, but a threat.
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Florence Nightingale: Mathematician from 2017-08-20T07:45
The Lady with the Lamp ought to be known as the Lady with the Logarithm, argues Australia's Chief Scientist Alan Finkel.
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Reducing restraint in juvenile detention from 2017-08-13T07:45
Integrating a concept known as "sensory modulation" — using the body's senses to calm a person down — into our approach to children in detention can help us, as a society, move beyond enjoying eith...
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The Frankenstein postdoc from 2017-08-06T07:45
When Kylie Soanes bounced out of her graduation ceremony with a newly-minted PhD, she thought she knew what she was in for.
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Reducing transport emissions from 2017-07-30T07:45
The uptake of renewables and gas is slowly reducing electricity CO2 emissions — but transport emissions are on the rise, and negating some of those improvements.
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Innovation on a grand scale from 2017-07-23T07:45
Is Australia looking effectively at the shape of things ahead when it comes to innovation?
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M?ori culture and history from 2017-07-16T07:45
Can you imagine New Zealand without a robust and vital M?ori presence? Tony Barta says few understand how close the country came to genocide.
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A teacher changed my life from 2017-07-09T07:45
Some teachers are hard to forget, as Bodhi Hardinge has found.
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Scotland, camping, and pesky ticks from 2017-07-02T07:45
Professor John Bradshaw reminisces on a romantic camping trip – disrupted by an infestation of ticks.
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Connecting people with science from 2017-06-25T07:45
In today’s post-fact, post-truth world, how do scientists engage with everybody in the general public — not just the ones who are already listening?
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The relics of scientists from 2017-06-18T07:45
How is it that philosopher Jeremy Bentham attends senate meetings at University College London, almost two centuries after his demise?
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The march of pseudoscience from 2017-06-11T07:45
Are scientists and the scientific method being replaced by the misinformation of pseudoscience, new-age therapies and quantum mysticism?
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Solving humanity's greatest risk from 2017-06-04T07:45
Humanity is up against enormous challenges, says science writer Julian Cribb. So what could be the key to survival?
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Vulnerable animals and private land from 2017-05-28T07:45
The ANU's Dr George Wilson has long been worried about the way our animals are disappearing from the landscape. Could market forces play a role in conservation?
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Plants in the southern hemisphere from 2017-05-21T07:45
The southern continents were once united as the supercontinent Gondwana, but does this explain the links between the plants of the southern hemisphere? Dr Barbara Briggs travelled to Madagascar to ...
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Fighting ignorance from ivory towers from 2017-05-14T07:45
To overcome the rising tide of public anti-intellectualism, Professor Mark Dodgson says the association in the public mind with academic and elite has to be broken.
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Prostate cancer from 2017-05-07T07:45
Prostate cancer is a controversial topic, and opinions on the diagnosis, treatment and management of the disease are more divergent than ever before.
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Clean energy entrepreneurship from 2017-04-30T07:45
How do we help foster the next generation of clean energy entrepreneurs in a country with a "risk-averse mindset" toward clean energy? Dr Adam Bumpus has some ideas.
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Central banking in the Internet Age from 2017-04-23T07:45
It turns out that modern technology, particularly the internet, could enable our most pressing problems in banking to be solved.
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The innovation race from 2017-04-16T07:45
Technology is transforming the economies of the world but Australia is being left behind; participating in the innovation revolution from the safe confines of being a bystander. Marlene Kanga is ca...
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Seeing patterns (even when they aren't there) from 2017-04-09T07:45
Len Fisher says we’re all inclined to look for patterns in events, and there are two reasons why we see patterns even when they aren’t there: one is evolutionary, the other is mathematical.
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The life of Dr Janet Irwin from 2017-04-02T07:45
It’s not common for doctors to speak out publicly on health issues which are contentious or viewed as political. Dr Janet Irwin was an exception to this rule.
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Translating research from 2017-03-26T07:45
Why do we hear so much more about drug and treatment innovations than about research that improves the lives of patients while they wait for those innovations to see the light of day?
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Aquaculture in Indonesia from 2017-03-19T07:45
What do we know about science in Indonesia? We rarely hear about what LIPI is doing — Indonesia's equivalent of the CSIRO. During her time there, Mari Rhydwen discovered the country's different app...
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Mathematics, my father and me from 2017-03-12T07:45
Too many of us fear mathematics, probably because of the way we were taught in primary school. That's a great pity, according to Don Aitkin, because it is, as his father taught him, a most useful t...
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Changing oncology education for the better from 2017-03-05T07:45
It is estimated that 134,174 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in Australia this year. Many medical students and newly graduated doctors, however, are still uncomfortable with the disease, says...
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The duty of researchers to influence policy from 2017-02-26T07:45
Simon Chapman AO says there's never been a more important time for researchers all over the world to speak up about their work — its implications and how societies and governments should act on it.
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Climate change, migration and human health from 2017-02-19T07:45
Globally, the impacts of climate change are going to contribute to human migration. Where it occurs, it should be supported so as to protect people’s communities, livelihoods, rights, and health, a...
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Technical advance won't save us from 2017-02-12T07:45
We tend to assume that some of the serious problems facing the world can be solved by technical wizardry. According to Ted Trainer, our assumptions are wrong.
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Memories from childhood from 2017-02-05T07:45
What is your earliest childhood memory? Dr John Bradshaw seems to have memories of when he was just months old — but agrees that most of us can’t go back further than two years of age.
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The physics of fat from 2017-01-29T07:45
When you lose weight, where does it go? Surfing scientist Ruben Meerman explains how fat leaves our bodies and enters the cosmos.
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Dr Allen Kerr from 2017-01-22T07:45
The first ever winner of the Prime Minister's Science Price, Dr. Allen Kerr, helped to launch GM crops around the world, showing how tenacity could...